Kim Ji Woong

Age: 26

Birthday: December 14, 1998

Nationality: South Korean

Gender: Male

Kim Ji Woong is a South Korean singer, dancer, actor, model and member of ZEROBASEONE (제로베이스원, often simplified to ZB1) under WakeOne Entertainment (웨이크원엔터테인먼트) and Nest Management. He was previously a member of INX (인엑스) and a pre-debut member of ATEEN (에이틴 / エイティーン) and B.I.T (비아이티). He graduated from an Open Broadcasting and Communication High School, and before debuting, spent time as a trainee at SM Entertainment and was part of the dance crew Woneight. Ji Woong made his debut in the entertainment industry on August 2, 2016, under the stage name Jinam as INX's lead vocalist, lead dancer and rapper with their first digital single, "Alright." They disbanded in November 2017 with no official statement. The five members filed a lawsuit to terminate their exclusive contracts and showed evidence of verbal abuse by the agency's CEO and other senior executives, along with a lack of payment and support for any of their activities. In June 2018, they won the lawsuit and their contracts were voided. He then moved to DS&A Entertainment (DS&A 엔터테인먼트), where he was set to become part of their new group ATEEN using the stage name King. In September 2018, they began some activities in Japan, but soon after, a major controversy occurred. In January 2019, all ten members filed a lawsuit against the agency's CEO, his wife, and another company representative, as they suffered mistreatment, and six out of the ten members were sexually harassed. The group disbanded following this incident, and the case was resolved in late 2023 favoring the group members. Jiwoong then joined Core Contents alongside four other ATEEN members. They were set to debut in early 2019 but eventually transferred to Wells Entertainment and ultimately disbanded in mid-2020 without debuting. Ji Woong stayed under Wells Entertainment as an actor. He had previously already appeared in "The Liar and His Lover" in 2017 with INX, but he made his official acting debut in the drama “The Sweet Blood” (달달한 그놈) in 2021. He later transferred to Nest Management. In 2020, he won the male category of the survival show "Burn Up" and released a single with the female winner Kim Min Jeong. However, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled his official debut as a soloist. In 2023, Ji Woong competed on the survival show "Boys Planet" (보이즈 플래닛), where he landed his place in ZEROBASEONE with a two-and-a-half-year contract. He re-debuted in July 2023 with ZB1's first mini album "Youth in the Shade." In March 2024, they debuted in Japan under LAPONE Entertainment (LAPONEエンタテインメント) with the single "Yura Yura." (Source: MyDramaList).